


The Hanging Tree: Juliantina - The Hunger Games AU

by macareynolds



Category: Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, Juliantina - Fandom
Genre: Amar a Muerte - Freeform, Canon Lesbian Relationship, F/F, LGBT, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, Lesbian Character, the hunger games - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-02-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:01:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22169815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/macareynolds/pseuds/macareynolds
Summary: Juliana and Valentina meet in the worst possible scenario. They're both tributes on the 74th Annual Hunger Games.Important:This story will not follow the canon of the trilogy written by Suzanne Collins, neither will include her characters. It will simply be developed in the same universe.
Relationships: Valentina Carvajal & Juliana Valdés, Valentina Carvajal/Juliana Valdés
Comments: 12
Kudos: 68





	1. The Reaping

"The others are just numbers for me" That phrase was repeated in my head over and over again on loop. That had been the line that had brought me a large number of sponsors and fans, along with my incredible score in the skills test. Everyone saw me as the ruthless tribute of District 7, the one with the greatest chances of being the next winner of the Hunger Games for what I had shown during the training weeks. However, now, within seconds of entering the arena, I was no longer so sure. I no longer had that superb smile on my face that anticipated was ready to go for everything and everyone.

The elevator door closed, and I saw Mateo smiling across the glass nervously. I returned the gesture as I could, while my stomach twitched. I felt sick, weak and dizzy. I have expected to feel this way at this moment, close to starting the event that would change my life forever. However, what distressed me right in there was something completely different from what I had imagined. I was not ready for it. The climb was torturously long, while trying to recover myself and return to my natural state centered and calm. My chest was compressed strongly, I couldn't breathe. Seven years I had been preparing for this and was about to ruin everything, and for someone I barely knew. I could not believe it. I totally did not know myself.

Unlike most of the other kids in my district, I did not hate the world where I was born. I was resigned to the life I had, and I knew I had a chance to improve it and I was going to go for it instead of sitting down and crying for what it could have been. But there, completely standing on the platform, facing so much green that it overwhelmed me, I could only think of one thing. Seeing her there a few meters away from me, for the first time I wanted everything to be different. At that moment, all I wanted was some guarantee that she would be fine, but for that to be possible it was me who would have to die. And then I knew it. I could not keep the promise I had made to my mother, or the one I made to myself. I would not be the winner of the Hunger Games. No. My goal, my only mission as soon as I set foot in that arena would be to protect her.

The countdown began and I decided to focus on my strategy. I fixed my eyes on the huge silver cornucopia in front of me and analyzed my possibilities. My mentor had been very clear, I should not approach to look for a weapon, that would be a bloodbath. But I needed an ax if I wanted to have at least one chance to save her. Ten seconds. In my mind I marked the path I would follow. Eight seconds I studied every tribute that could interfere. 6 seconds I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. Four seconds I put myself in a position to run as I had never done in my life. Two seconds I looked at her for the last time, silently promising that she would be safe. The cannon rang and I shot towards the cornucopia, repeating again and again for myself: Valentina Carvajal will be the winner of the Hunger Game number 74, as my name is Juliana Valdés.

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The first rays of the morning sun began to seep through the window, becoming once again my natural alarm clock. My eyes tried to slowly adapt to the sudden brightness, while my body stretched involuntarily trying to find some comfort that I would never find in the old simple bed that I shared with my mother every night. Turning slightly, I noticed that the other side of the mattress was empty. There were few times when Lupe would wake up before me, much less moments when she would decide to get up to perform any activity that was not pitying herself in that same place or in her rocking chair in the living room. But that was not a day like any other, no. It was the day of the reaping and the moment I had been waiting for all my life, even when I didn't know it.

Unlike any other young people of my age on that particular date, I was smiling hopefully at what was coming. My feet touched the cold and dirty wooden floor covered with dirt, just like they did every morning, preparing me to get going. I took a few steps trying to get used to the temperature change. The cold of autumn felt even inside the house, sheltered in the walls of pine and oak. I entered the bathroom while listening to movement in the kitchen. I turned my eyes imagining my mother preparing breakfast. As if one day a year would justify her constant absence in my life. It was like living with a ghost. I went back to the room, put on my khaki work pants, my red and black flannel shirt and my dark brown boots. I picked up my hair in a ponytail, took my jacket and left, heading straight for the door of the house without stopping to look at my mother and completely ignoring her call.

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We lived almost at the edge of the forest, the only place that had truly been my home for most of my life, because I had to escape from the house every time my father returned drunk and willing to discharge his anger against my mother and sometimes against me. The first years in which I was truly aware of what was happening, I tried to persuade Lupe to run away, to seek help or to defend ourselves. But it was useless, she didn't want to and nobody was interested in listening to us. Then, my walks among the trees, in the territory that was not yet destined for the chopping, became increasingly extensive and daily. After El Chino was killed in the main square for his long and endless list of illegal businesses and disrespect for authority, my mother got worse. One would believe that having been released from an abusive husband would make her feel better. On the contrary, she became even more of a hermit and depressive. I had to put aside my childhood to work in the morning and study in the afternoon. Attending school was an obligation at Panem, and I didn't want to have more problems than we already had. It was not common for a 12-year-old girl to be the head of her family, but I was a good lumberjack and the Peacekeepers didn't care. If I did my jobe just as I had to, everything was fine.

When I reached the edge of the fence at the end of the road, I looked around carefully to make sure that nobody would see me. I didn't usually went there in the morning, because it was when I was at work. The forest used to be my refuge at night or on weekends, when I was not supposed to attend school. But that day nobody worked, everyone was preparing for the reaping. I leaned on my favorite pine, and climbed agilely without thinking twice, circling it with my legs and pushing myself up with my arms. It felt like something completely natural to me. When I reached the first trunk branch, I hung my body from it with my hands, swinging forward a couple of times until I had enough strength to make my jump. I landed a few meters from the fence, on the other side, in a place that was already tired of receiving me.

I ran until I lost myself completely among the trees, where the leafiness would protect me from being discovered. The tranquility of the forest invaded me, and all I could hear was my steps on the dried leaves. Already deep into my personal paradise, I reached my favorite place. The hanging tree was famous throughout the district, and possibly throughout Panem. Everyone knew the song and the tale behind that mythical place, but few knew it was true. I stopped in front of the tree and climbed the rope, reaching one of the highest branches. I slid towards the trunk and removed a piece of wood that worked as a cover to hide a small hole. My father had made it years ago, to hide everything he trafficked. I reached in and took out my ax, then descended again.

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"I really hope that the arena this year is a forest, because that way the others will not have a chance against you" Sergio's voice took me by surprise and my heart jumped. He lived with a constant fear of being discovered, even though he knew that nobody cared that we walked there. So I gave him the coldest look I could when I managed to recover from the shock. "You scared me" I said pushing him by the shoulder. We used to meet sometimes in the forest. His family situation was similar to mine, although his father was still present and was not a nice guy at all. He was much less violent than Chino, but Sergio could not stand spending the day near him. His family owned a bakery, so they had a decent economy although they were not rich. No one was unless you lived in the Capitol or districts 1 and 2, or were a politician.

“Nervous for today?” I knew he was asking because he was the one who was really terrified, like every boy and girl on the day of the reaping. I shrugged and started walking. He followed me, walking in silence for a long time. We didn't talk too much, we didn't consider ourselves friends. Simply two teenagers with similar misfortunes and a common place to escape to.

When we reached a small clearing, which was one of the spaces I used the most for training, Sergio lay on the grass facing the sky, with his eyes closed and his head resting on his own hands. I stood in the middle of the clear space, and began throwing the ax towards the trees that surrounded me. Some of them were marked so that I could practice my aim, but I rarely failed. I had been using that weapon for too many years, it was like a part of me. While throwing, I imagined what it would be like to do the same but in the arena, and instead of throwing it to wood, it would be people. It would not be easy, I had never hurt anyone, except in any occasional fight at school or in the black market when Chino took me with him to do his business. But killing was something completely different. However, I tried not to think about it too much. The other 23 tributes were the only thing that would stand in my way to achieve my dream, and I had to see them just like that. Stones in my way.

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“Do you ever wonder what it would be like to have been born before Panem? Or how is the rest of the world out of here?” After a few long minutes, Sergio spoke. He wasn't the only one who asked himself those questions, and it wasn't the first time he talked about it with me. As he already didn’t know my answer. “You know I don’t. Why would I waste time imagining that?” I replied without even looking at him, continuing with my task.

"If I lived somewhere else, if Panem was not like this, I would like to have a big family to teach my children to bake" I could not help laughing at his comment, rolling my eyes. "So you would still be a baker, even if everything was different?" I approached him waiting for his answer and taking a short break. "Yes I think so. Wouldn't you like to have a family?” He slowly rejoined, sitting next to me in the grass. I looked away, thinking about his question, imagining something I really didn't want to imagine. "No" I answered, finally, firmly. “I wouldn't even like to be in a relationship. I already have enough to have to take responsibility for my mother” I added, leaning back to lie down. "Well, it's a shame, because I know that many boys would want to be with you" I was very aware of Sergio's feelings towards me. He had never been good to hide them. But I was not good at hiding my rejection either, not only towards him, but towards all the boys who had tried something with me. I decided not to respond and stood up, ready to return home. I had to prepare for the reaping.

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Once we were on the other side of the fence again, we said goodbye, aware that it could be the last time we saw each other. Sergio was really scared, I could tell it in his eyes, in his voice. But I could not understand it. Participating in the Games was a unique opportunity to change your life forever, why would anyone be afraid of that? Of the opportunity of having something better. I could not understand it.

I took the longest road back home, following the path of the scattered trees that led to the poorest area of the district. Wanting to enjoy those places, aware that maybe I wouldn't come back. My eyes were lost on the roots that entered and left the earth, with no sense but with force, clinging to the trees where they belonged. My footprints along the way marked my steps through the place that had seen me grow up, the place I was going to abandon to not come back, whether it was to achieve something better or to die behind the promise of a different life. It didn't matter anymore. That day everything would change.

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I walked into the house and found my mother sitting in her rocking chair, which had long stopped rocking. She looked at me with sadness. She knew very well what I was planning to do, and although a part of her thanked me for sacrificing myself for us once again, she was also deeply afraid of being alone, because she wasn't going to be able to deal with it. But it was too late to change my mind, much less for Lupe. She had made her decisions and I had mine.

I took off my clothes and went to the bathroom, the water basin barely heated. I washed my best because I wanted to make a good first impression. The image was important. That was the day when the rest of Panem would meet me, I wanted to look amazing or as good as I could. When I got out, my mother had left a dress for me on the bed. I recognized it quickly, it was the one she used in those good days, those that had been very few, when my father would treat her well and decided to have dinner with us as a family, something we had never been. It was made from a more delicate fabric than any other garment we had, a very light blue color, which at times seemed gray. I put it on and it reached me a little above the knees. On the waist, it was held with a delicate bun, and on the top it was buttoned with tiny matching buttons. I stopped in front of the damaged and broken mirror to look at myself. It didn't look bad, which was a lot for me.

In the reflection I noticed how Lupe approached. She took my still wet hair and gently dry it with a towel. With a brush that barely had fences, she gently combed my hair, trying to prolong our last moments together as long as possible. I allowed it, because I knew this was hard for her. She picked up my hair in a thick braid on the side that fell over one of my shoulders. I turned to see her in the eyes, which were a dull green. I had my father's, an intense and dark chocolate. That was the only thing that I shared with him, and I hated it. Apart from that, I was the living image of my mother.

She took my face in her hands, and I couldn't help closing my eyes at the contact. Lupe had always been affectionate, it was I who had continually rejected her affection because I couldn't forgive her for allowing El Chino to ruin our lives. We stayed that way for a few seconds, it was our silent way of saying goodbye.

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When we arrived at the square, my mother and I finally separated. She mixed with the public, consisting mainly of adults and children too young to participate in the process yet. I went to the registering area, where they asked for my name and took my blood sample as they did every year. When I finished registering, I walked down the cordoned hall that separated the place into two large groups of people, heading forward. I placed myself on the front line, a few meters from the stage and a few steps away from the extensive formation of Peacekeepers that looked like statues, completely motionless.

Although I was very sure of what I was going to do, I also felt extremely nervous. Even living in a place like Panem, knowing that our lives were worth nothing to the government or the ones that were supposed to take care of us, I was never afraid. My life had a routine, boring, predictable. And in that comfort and security generated by the repetitive days, I had always felt protected, mainly after the death of El Chino. But now, I would be surrounded by unknown people, in strange places and going through circumstances that I would not always control. Yes, I had prepared and trained for the games, but that didn't mean I was 100% ready, nobody really was. Not even professional tributes.

When Renata Barranco, the escort of our district began to take the stage, I felt that my heart was racing and my heartbeat was the only thing I could hear in my head. Everyone disappeared around me, and my vision clouded as my legs began to fail. I closed my eyes trying to calm myself down, concentrating on breathing. In the back of my mind I listened to Renata's speech, the transmission of the official video of the Capitol, words and images that I had already seen many times and that I knew by heart. I only opened my eyes again when I heard the words I had been waiting for: "Ladies first." Always, since I could remember it, the selection of tributes began with women.

Renata pronounced a name that sounded familiar to me, the murmurs began and I watched as a girl no older than 14 years old moved near me, right in the same line. She was crying, and I decided I couldn't wait. I moved quickly and stopped her. I noticed from the corner of my eye how the Peacekeepers began to move in alarm. I reached the main hall and proclaimed as strong as my lungs and my nervousness allowed.

"I volunteer" The murmur increased at my statement, as I advanced toward the stage. The Agents returned to their place and I climbed the stairs to meet Renata on the platform. The entire audience was stunned, except probably for my mother, whom I avoided looking in the crow, although it was very difficult. I swallowed dry and let the air out heavily, trying to relax because I knew they wanted me to talk.

"What is your name, brave young lady?" Renata asked with a smile on her face, thinking I had committed an act of bravery, unlike the rest of the people in that place who surely considered me an idiot. "Juliana. Juliana Valdés ” I said as loud and clear as I can, raising my head and straightening my body. The show had begun for me, I was presenting myself to Panem's eyes and I felt proud. The nerves were beginning to fade because I was finally fulfilling my goal.

But then, reality hit me in the face hard when Renata withdrew and took the name of who my partner would be from the urn. "Sergio García" I heard her say and my heart stopped completely. Not that I cared about him, but knowing that I would have to eliminate someone I knew made it a difficult task harder than it already was.

As Sergio walked onto the stage, I comforted myself by telling me that it wouldn't even have to kill him. He was not ready for the games, it was possible that wouldn’t not even survive the start. When he passed in front of me, to take his place next to Renata, his gaze paralyzed me. Sadness, pain, anguish, terror and desolation. All that was printed on his eyes. I could see a slight tremor in his body, and as tears threatened to leave but he held them back because he knew that the world was watching him and he had to pretend to be strong.

There was nothing in my mind that I could say to comfort him when we are directed inside the governorate building. He looked down, and I could tell how he started to cry. They took us to different rooms where we knew we would say goodbye to our families. Or, in my case, to my mother.

A few minutes later, the door opened and Lupe entered crying inconsolably. My head was a mixture between pain and anger, because she already knew my plans. She must’ve been ready. I put aside my pride and hugged her, as hard as I can, trying to transmit her a security that I didn’t have at that time. After one of the longest hugs we had given in our lives, I took her by the arms and stared into her eyes.

“I will return and our life will no longer be miserable. But in the meantime, you have to be strong. For you for me. For you. For both of us” I said and she nodded before a Peacekeeper entered and pulled her out of my arms. The door closed and I found myself alone, knowing that I was about to start a journey that would change everything forever.


	2. Piercing blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Juliana and Sergio make it to the Capitol, and we finally meet Valentina.

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Sitting next to Sergio in one of the main train cars that was taking us to the Capitol, I began to understand what was happening around me. It was very different when I was lying in the forest looking at the sky and wishing with all my heart to be on the list to attend the Hunger Games, to be seriously committed to that dream of reality.

I felt a strange weight on my shoulders. Not because it wasn't a familiar feeling, I had had it almost all my life. The pressure of being the daughter of a criminal, feeling the eyes of others on my court. The burden of having to take care of my house and my mother by myself after El Chino died. I was carrying an extra weight for years. But this time it was different.

At times, while an awkward silence reigned in the place, I cursed myself for having achieved my goal and finding myself there. I had no idea what I was going to face, had I really been so naive to believe that I could be prepared for such an event with the few resources I had?

But then my head cooled and tried to calm me down, telling me over and over again that I had as many possibilities as any other but that nobody else wanted this like me. That was my advantage and, perhaps, my downfall. But I would give it all.

Sergio was still sobbing from time to time and I avoided looking at him. I felt sorry for him, but I shouldn't. He had been my friend, yes, or the closest thing I ever had to one. However, being there, he was my enemy. One more opponent on the list of 23 people I had to eliminate to achieve what I longed for. And neither he nor anyone was going to stop me.

Renata was sitting in front of us without moving an inch when the car door opened. The first thing I felt was a strong and unmistakable smell of alcohol. I knew very well that aberrant feeling that completely flooded my senses, El Chino had come with that same smell to the house more times than I could count.

An extremely tall and thin man entered through the threshold with a bottle of liquor in his hand and a full glass in the other, dripping at every step he took. He walked slowly, almost without reflexes, trying to stand with his eyes lost anywhere.

He was wearing a cream-colored shirt that had received a few drops of his drink and underneath a muscular white spotted too. His gray pants looked expensive as did his black and dull shoes like his hair and mustache.

He stopped in front of us and smiled slightly before leaning the glass and the bottle on an elegant wooden table that divided the space where Sergio and I were from where Renata was based.

"Finally, Beltrán" said the woman, standing up with an upset face and a tone of reproach. The man did not take it for granted and took a seat dodging the outstretched hand of our escort, who rolled her eyes and resumed the same position she had abandoned a few seconds ago.

"These are the ones?" Beltrán asked more toward nothing than Renata.

"Yes. They are Juliana and Sergio” The woman introduced us with pride. "Juliana is a volunteer" she added, boasting even more, but Beltran's face was completely transformed into a painful grimace.

"Are you crazy?" This time he looked me straight in the eye, surprised, confused and even upset.

I held his gaze a few seconds before answering. "No" I said simply trying to get my voice out as firm as possible.

"Then why have you volunteered?" I smiled at his question before answering.

"Because I need my life to change dramatically and this is the only way I know to achieve it" Beltrán studied me for a moment, probably trying to find a truth greater than the words he has just heard. Obviously, he didn't find it, so he shrugged and took his glass to continue drinking.

"So what is the plan?" Sergio asked after a few minutes.

"The plan?" Beltrán repeated.

“Yes, you are supposed to be our mentor, right? You must have some strategy, a plan, some advice. Something” Sergio looked desperate. I had already realized that we were not going to get anything from our supposed guide.

"The best advice I can give you, kid, is: Don't die" Beltrán stood up and walked out the door before any of us could tell him anything else. Renata stood up and followed him, excusing herself and making assuring us she would return with him in a few minutes. She didn’t.

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The night we had to spend on a trip on the train to the Capitol was not easy. It was the first time in my life that I slept in a place that was not my home or, on some rare occasions, the forest. The comfort of the bed, the absolute silence of the place, the extravagant smells and the lights, I found it very difficult to fall asleep to.

When finally my body and head surrendered to fatigue, my subconscious did not leave me alone either. I walked in the forest like almost every afternoon when I returned from school. The sun was about to set and I had to return for dinner.

I took a couple of steps forward to approach the tree to which I had thrown my ax, but it seemed that every time I approached it was further. I began to accelerate my pace but the distance grew and, suddenly and without warning, a knife flew inches away from my head, completely paralyzing me. When I turned to see where it had come from, a human figure very difficult to distinguish stood a few steps away from me.

I started running in search of the ax while that stranger approached, but I couldn't reach it. A terrible weight fell on my back and knocked me down, hitting the ground hard. At that moment I woke up completely startled and covered in sweat.

I sat while trying to catch my breath watching everything around me. I had prepared myself in the physical part. I could run, climb, climb, cut, hunt. But there were emotional and psychological aspects that I wasn't sure I could handle and now I was noticing it.

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After a few hours of rest, Renata woke me up for breakfast as we would soon reach our destination. I came to the dining room with my stomach roaring but also completely knotted by nerves.

I had seen thousands of images of the Capitol, videos and had even met some people who had lived there. But it was not the same as witnessing it. Entering that place that seemed so distant and different, and now it would be a crucial part of my goal.

Beltrán and Sergio were already sitting at the table talking about survival tactics. Our mentor no longer smelled of alcohol and seemed clean, not like when he gave us his first impression.

But my biggest surprise was seeing the amount of food in front of my eyes. Already the dinner of the previous day had seemed exaggerated, but the breakfast was the same or more exuberant. Maybe Sergio was used to eating a little more, his family's bakery was one of the district's big suppliers and they always had food at their disposal. My family was different.

When El Chino died, we began to live on what I managed to hunt in the forest, but I worried much more about selling my prey so that I could keep my mother without working than in taking them for us. We never went hungry like many people around us, my father had always managed to get food and money even without working. But we never had anything left over.

"Sergio says that you handle weapons and that you are good at hunting, that you would easily survive in the forest" Beltrán's comment brought me back to reality as I tried to decipher what it was that was served on my plate.

"I'm good at it" I said simply, trying not to flaunt my skills. I was not an arrogant person, but I knew how to recognize my strengths.

"Much more than that" Sergio replied confidently. “You have prepared for years for this, Juliana. I think you have as many opportunities as professionals.” I didn't know why, but his words bothered me. I watched him in silence while we ate.  
"Maybe you are not lost cases after all" Beltrán spoke again and I looked at him angrily. He had no idea how much time I had spent on being ready for the Games and spoke as if Sergio and I were already doomed to die in the arena.

Suddenly, the train darkened due to the blockage of light coming from outside. I turned my head towards the window and observed that we were going through a tunnel. Renata smiled from the other side of the table and stood approaching one of the windows.

"We are entering the Capitol," she said with joy. Sergio looked at her curiously and then followed her, stopping to watch through the window as well. When the tunnel came to an end I was paralyzed by what my eyes saw. Instinctively I got up from my place and approached another window to see better.

District 7 had some luxurious buildings, such as the Mayor's house, but I could count them on the fingers of one hand. This place was imposing in every corner. The tall buildings with huge windows, all in light tones that made it seem even more immense. It contrasted completely with the earth, the mud, the green and all the muted and rugged colors of my home.

The train began to slow down as we entered the station, and my stomach twisted as it turned as I saw thousands of people standing on the platform waiting. When we stopped completely I could hear the screams, the words of encouragement and cheers that cheered from outside. That was all I wasn't ready for. Surviving at what was waiting for me in the arena? Yes. Running, climbing, jumping? Sure. Maybe even killing. But, being the center of attention and delight the audience? Definitely not.

Sergio stood by Renata, waving from inside to those on the other side. The spectators seemed fascinated with him and his smile. Beltrán stood next to me and whispered: "Maybe you are both much better prepared for this show than I thought, although with different abilities."

I stiffened at his comment as I tried to decode it. And then I understood, this game was much more than carrying my ax and using it at the right time. The show had started since the reaping, and I wasn't the only one willing to shine on it.

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Unfortunately, we had no chance to truly see the Capitol. The tributes agenda was extensive and seemed to be designed to exhaust us even before we stepped on the arena. When we left the station between shouts and cheers, a strange vehicle transported us to the building where we would live the next few weeks before the games.

The place had a main floor where there was a hall and an external and internal garden. Then, each floor was assigned to each pair of tributes and their teams according to their number. On the thirteenth floor there was a covered terrace and a swimming pool, while the training center was in the basement.

But we didn't have too much time to tour the site. Once we settled in our rooms, we were moved back to the site where the initial parade would take place, where the tributes were presented to the public. That was the part of the whole process that terrified me the most, as was the interview. I was not good at selling and showing myself, much less with words. But I was willing to make a great impression.

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I was sitting on a stretcher in a small room, surrounded by machines and objects that I did not completely know. I was wearing a blue robe that I had been instructed to wear once I had taken off my clothes. While I was curiously inspecting everything around me, the door opened and a very well-groomed man with a dark beard came in smiling.

He wore a very striking two-color shirt with blue pants that reached a little below his knees. His clothes were strange, but not as extravagant as the rest of the people I had seen in the Capitol since my arrival, or Renata's.

“Hi Juliana, it's nice to finally meet you. My name is Mateo Luna, and I will be your stylist and advisor, if you allow me, during your preparation for the games” His voice was deep and clear, but it was accompanied by a tone that calmed me down. His smile was wide and truly charming, but what really caught my attention was that it seemed genuine.

He reached out his hand to greet me and I imitated him, shaking it gently. "Well, I would introduce myself but I think you already know my name" I said, blushing. He smiled even more. "I think everyone knows who you are" he replied as he sat in a chair in front of me.

"You think?" I asked curiously. “Oh, believe me, you already have everyone quite impressed. You know, there aren't many volunteer tributes from the higher districts and much less women. Something tells me that you are looking to make history and that you could make it”

I couldn't help smiling at his words. Maybe I wasn't fully aware of what I had done and the impact that could have on the public, I just thought about what I wanted to achieve.

"I hope you're right" I said.

“Well, in a few minutes my team will be here to prepare you and then I'll come back so we can test your costumes. I know there have been no original ideas regarding the costumes for the 7th district tribute in years, so I hope to surprise you” He winked at me and stood up, disappearing behind the door.

Once his team finished with me, Mateo returned to show me my costume for the parade. And I was really surprised at his proposal. Usually, since our district was responsible for providing wood for all Panem, stylists dressed our tributes as lumberjacks or, in some cases, trying to pay tribute to the trees.

However, Mateo presented me with a black two-piece suit with long, tight pants, a jacket and a shirt with a high collar. But the edge of the pants and jacket had a silver line formed by mirrors that tried to look like the edge of an ax.

That was exactly the image I wanted to project. Intimidating and dangerous. Maybe it wouldn't be compelling to the audience, but it was what I wanted and he, even without knowing me, seemed to have understood it perfectly.

When Sergio and I met again in the huge hall behind the main stands of the stadium where the parade would take place, he was wearing a suit very similar to mine, and by seeing it on him I was even more certain of the impact we would cause.

“Those are suits. Not like what they made me use” Beltrán commented when he arrived next to Renata while we settled near our carriage. Mateo smiled at him. "Let me guess, were you a tree?" He asked, making us all smile.

“A damn log, can you believe it kid? It seemed like a joke” Meteo began to laugh and we all followed him, including Beltrán. But suddenly, the smile on the stylist's face faded.

"The problems have arrived" he said almost in a whisper, looking closely at the front door of the room, when a group of people walked in. At the front of the group, marched a slender woman, of medium stature but really imposing with a two-piece suit and a navy shirt, all decorated with small pearl white stone inlays. Behind her came a tall man with a populated dark beard, in a white linen suit composed of wide pants and a long jacket with golden buttons. Next to him, another blonde woman in dangerously tall shoes with a red dress also decorated with stone inlays.

A little further back, walking heavily and with a very tall head, a young man who looked my age entered. Tall, stocky, with his muscles fully exposed but out of the chest and golden skirt that fit his body, making him look like an ancient Roman gladiator. Under his arm he carried a helmet matching with the rest of his suit, also with ostentatious pearl inlays.

While Mateo was commenting on the group that had just entered the place, my head was completely distracted. My gaze was lost on the last person who entered through the door. Wearing a suit very similar to the boy's before her, but with much shorter pieces, a young woman with long brown golden hair hiding under her helmet paraded. Her extremely white skin was visible on her toned but thin arms, her well worked abdomen exposed under a top that pretended to be an armor. Her legs, which seemed to float framed under a skirt that matched the top of her suit, seemed endless.

I felt like the air was missing at every step she took approaching the rest of the group. But the impact was bigger when her piercing and perfect sky blue eyes met mine, and my world stopped completely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!
> 
> As I had told you before, the chapters of this story take me quite a while, but I hope to have the next one very soon. What do you think will happen now? How will the first interaction between Juliana and Valentina be like?
> 
> If you haven't read it yet, I invite you to check out my other fic, Perfectly Out Of Key:  
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/21062969/chapters/50106305
> 
> Follow me on Twitter and Instagram: @MacaReynolds.
> 
> See you!

**Author's Note:**

> Those who follow me on social media (@MacaReynolds on Twitter and Instagram) know that I have been working on this for some time, so I am very happy to finally be able to share it.
> 
> Some important clarifications:  
> nor andie  
> I will not update very often. Not because I don't want to, but because this story requires a lot of work and I really want to pay tribute to The Hunger Games saga, of which I am a huge fan and I would feel very bad if I could not meet expectations.
> 
> On the other hand, neither Katniss, nor Peeta, nor Gale exist in this world. There will be references to them and the trilogy, little easter eggs and things for those who are fans like me. But don't look beyond that.
> 
> Those who know what THG is about, will know that it is not a happy story, so be prepared for the angst.
> 
> I hope you will accompany me on this new adventure.
> 
> See you!


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